Bai Mo wasn't impatient. Instead, he had a proper night's rest and woke up bright and early.
He ambled over to the street where the Li Mansion was located and found Lanshan in their usual spot.
The street was deserted. From the rows of opulent, grand buildings on either side, heavy auras emanated.
A baby started to cry, but as if deemed inappropriate for the time, it was quickly muffled.
Even a Cultivator like Bai Mo, who wasn't skilled in combat, could feel the clashing auras of other Cultivators in the air.
Lanshan was resting with his eyes closed. Alerted by Han Meng, he saw Bai Mo arrive.
"Shopkeeper Bai, why are you here again!?"
He asked in astonishment.
"Mm," Bai Mo nodded and plopped himself down.
"Why go to all this trouble?"
Lanshan rubbed the corners of his eyes and flicked his fingers lightly.
"Right now, no one dares to sell pills that can remove a Blood Curse to the Li family."
"With his Heart Demons proliferating, the Patriarch of the Li family won't be able to hold on for much longer."
Bai Mo was slightly startled; it was a stark reminder of the city's dangers. Immortal Arrival City was full of wolves.
Following the plan he'd conceived last night, Bai Mo took out the jade stone, handed it to Lanshan, and told him about the rogue cultivators.
"Rogue cultivators!?"
Lanshan shuddered. 'The Patriarch of the Li family is connected to rogue cultivators?'
Bai Mo nodded.
"I'm afraid so."
The term "rogue cultivators" referred to Cultivators who made a living by burning, robbing, and plundering.
In the Cultivation Realm, these types of Cultivators were reviled by all. The more infamous ones often had bounties on their heads from the major sects.
In a flash, Lanshan guessed Bai Mo's plan.
"If this jade stone really is a token for contacting rogue cultivators, then there's a lot we can do with it."
"So..." Bai Mo interjected, "I was hoping you could take a look and see if there's a way to confirm it."
Lanshan fell silent, looking down in contemplation for a moment before speaking slowly.
"There is a way. I'll be as quick as I can."
"Good!"
Hearing this, Bai Mo stood up crisply, left the jade stone, and took his leave.
Lanshan was a little surprised that he left the jade stone so decisively. He started to say something, but the words changed as they left his mouth.
"Won't you stay a little longer, Shopkeeper Bai?"
Bai Mo waved a hand. "I still have to open the shop. Why else do you think I came over so early?"
...
After bidding farewell to Lanshan, Bai Mo wove through the streets and alleys, and it wasn't long before he reached the main street where his shop was located.
Stalls were already being set up one after another along the street.
However, the stall owners didn't look happy; their faces were filled with worry and unease.
"Brother Bai!" an old man setting up his stall called out to Bai Mo.
"Have you heard about the city's reforms?"
Bai Mo sighed. "Everyone has to find their own way out."
"We've known each other a while now. I think we can call each other Fellow Cultivator."
"In the future, if you get any new goods, you can bring them to my shop to show me first. It'll save you the trouble of setting up a stall."
The old man cupped his hands, his face full of gratitude.
"At my age, what storms haven't I weathered? We all just have to endure. Better days will come."
The reforms in Immortal Arrival City made Bai Mo feel a sense of urgency.
His previous habit of running the shop sporadically would have to change.
Bai Mo took down the door planks and, as usual, sat in his spot to wait for customers.
In his hands, however, he now held the personal notes of that Alchemist Gou, with the *Detailed Explanation of Alchemy* set to one side.
As he read, Bai Mo's brow furrowed.
'This Alchemist Gou really wasn't too bright. How could he have so many strange questions about things that just require a moment's thought?'
'The only parts worth reading are his master's teachings.'
Compared to the full length of the manuscript, his master's contributions were few.
But many of these words had an enlightening effect on the current Bai Mo.
Especially when combined with the *Detailed Explanation of Alchemy*, it allowed him to glimpse a corner of the world of pills.
'Hiss... Are Tier Two pills really that complex? The changes in medicinal potency involved, and the number of ingredients more than doubles.'
'No wonder some people research collaborative alchemy methods, just to pool their wisdom and effort.'
Bai Mo read with great relish. Then, a concept in the book called the "Great Pill" piqued his interest even more.
Great, meaning ultimate.
A so-called "Great Pill" was a pill that surpassed its own tier in some aspect, reaching a higher level and possessing far greater medicinal properties.
Flipping through the *Detailed Explanation of Alchemy*, Bai Mo came to this conclusion.
But Bai Mo's thoughts went deeper.
'According to this, the reason Great Pills exist is mostly because they simply can't be created using the techniques meant for their own tier.'
'Thus, one must seek out higher-level alchemy methods.'
Bai Mo's brow furrowed, and he felt like he was on the verge of grasping something.
'Could the reason I can't successfully create my new Qi Blood Pill be something similar?'
He thought it through, following the examples in the book and the logic of his predecessors.
'That's it. There's nothing wrong with my medicinal potency ratio. The reason I end up with duds is that the essence of the Demon Beast blood is too potent.'
The ingredients used for a Qi Blood Pill weren't high-grade, so the pill's material base simply couldn't contain medicinal potency that had been multiplied several times over.
The moment he figured it out, Bai Mo felt a flash of insight, his thoughts suddenly clearing.
Almost instantly, two solutions appeared in his mind.
He could either integrate a not-low-tier ingredient with neutral medicinal properties, or he could increase the amount of the base ingredients, letting a quantitative change lead to a qualitative one.
Almost instantly, Bai Mo chose the latter.
This was a decision based on business costs.
As for the fact that increasing the quantity of ingredients would just barely bring the pill to the level of a "Great Pill," Bai Mo wasn't too concerned.
He had already refined over five hundred pills in his life.
He was confident he had the necessary skill and wasn't afraid of failing to control the changes in the medicinal ingredients.
Bai Mo simulated the refinement process for the Qi Blood Pill in his mind until he felt it could not be improved any further, and only then did he stop.
'So exhausting, simulating the refinement method for a Great Pill.'
Although he had made a breakthrough, he would ultimately have to wait until night to test his theory.
After selling another two bottles of Qi Absorption Pills, Bai Mo took out the manual for the *Star-Pointing Seven Hands*.
He let out a breath. 'This looks much simpler. It won't be as mentally taxing.'
And so he read for the entire afternoon.
Not many customers came in today. It was likely due to the effects of Immortal Arrival City's reforms; people in every trade were in disarray, and the market was in a state of chaos.
Those who knew what was going on were in no mood to stroll about idly.
Bai Mo waited until sunset before closing the shop and returning to his residence.
He had a simple meal, then meditated for an hour. Bai Mo felt he had adjusted his condition to its peak.
CLANG! CLANG!
In a flash, he had the Alchemy Furnace and the bronze pot set up and a fire lit beneath them.
He brought over a large quantity of medicinal ingredients and placed them nearby, ready for use.
The Earth Dragon Root was also soaking in the Demon Beast blood essence.
By the time Bai Mo finished processing the other ingredients, the Earth Dragon Root was just about ready.
He tossed the ingredients into the bronze pot one by one to be stir-fried, while other ingredients were added to the Alchemy Furnace in succession.
Bai Mo's hands moved so fast they became a blur of afterimages.
Even so, he had to divide his attention, constantly monitoring the changes in the tools of his trade.
The sequence of ingredients, their quantity, their transformations, the heat of the fire...
This was the first time Bai Mo had ever felt so exhausted while refining a single furnace of pills.
However, when he sensed the blood qi within the Pill Furnace gradually receding, a smile appeared on Bai Mo's face.
An hour later, Bai Mo pulled out the firewood and lifted the lid of the Pill Furnace.
Three bright red pills lay inside, a full size larger than his Qi Absorption Pills.
With a thought.
[Pill Master: Bai Mo]
[Realm: Qi Refining Second Layer]
[Status: Pill Disciple (0/900)]
[Aptitude: From a single spot, the whole leopard is known; comprehension begins to manifest.]
Bai Mo sighed softly.
'Could it be that I really need to refine Tier Two pills to increase the progress on my status panel?'